Missouri Basketball: Tigers make another splash with top-30 Annor Boateng

Dennis Gates and Missouri Basketball has become a threat on the recruiting trail in the SEC, with commit Annor Boateng being a great example.

Last year, 1st-year Missouri Basketball head coach Dennis Gates proved to already be a successful hire. Coming over from Cleveland State, he was able to change the roster into one that made the NCAA Tournament, thanks to a few Horizon League transfers such as D’Moi Hodge, DeAndre Gholston, and Tre Gomillion.

But the long-term reality is that in order for the Tigers to consistently compete both in the SEC and nationally, they’re going to need top-100 talent out of high school. To the program’s credit, that’s exactly what they’ve been working on this offseason. The team landed a trio of four-star commits before this past weekend in guard TO Barrett, as well as forward Marcus Allen and center Peyton Marshall.

Yet Missouri’s best pickup came a few days ago, landing Annor Boateng. He’s a top-30 small forward prospect from Little Rock, Arkansas and is viewed as an instant impact contributor when he arrives to the SEC program a year from now. He’s easily the best commitment Coach Gates has landed to this point and considering that he was able to beat Coach Eric Mussleman and the Razorbacks for a high-level local target, that’s going to catch everyone’s attention in the SEC world.

The wing position was also one of need because without Hodge, the Tigers were likely going to use three-guard lineups for most of the upcoming season. With 7’3 center Connor Vanover down low, they should be able to avoid having too many size issues. But having the 6’6 Boateng to slide in at the three-spot will give them needed balanced in the future.

The SEC was already tough to recruit in with the likes of Musselman, John Calipari, and Nate Oats in there. Now, it looks like Coach Gates and Missouri Basketball is getting into the mix as well.